Radio receivers such as AM and frequency modulation (FM) receivers are well known and are pervasive. Conventionally, these receivers have been formed of analog circuitry to receive an incoming radio frequency (RF) signal, downconvert the signal, and demodulate the downconverted signal to obtain an audio signal for output. Typically, the circuitry for AM and FM receivers, even in a combined radio, includes separate dedicated paths for AM and FM operation. While such analog-based circuitry may perform well, the area associated with this analog circuitry typically exceeds that used for digital circuitry, and the analog receivers typically include many discrete components. In contrast, digital circuitry is generally available in ever-decreasing sizes, as the benefits of advanced semiconductor processes provide for greater integration benefits. Furthermore, the cost of digital integrated circuits (ICs) is generally less than corresponding analog circuitry.
Accordingly, some radio receivers are being designed to incorporate greater amounts of digital circuitry. While such circuitry may improve performance and can be formed in small packages, typically there are complexities in processing RF signals that require significant digital processing to match the relatively simple circuitry of an analog receiver.
Additional issues exist in radio receivers. One issue associated with mobile radio receivers is that a received signal can suffer from fading or other interference as the mobile receiver is moved. For example, particularly with regard to AM signals, interference, e.g., caused by buildings or other obstructions can negatively impact the strength of the received signal. As a result, the radio's output can similarly fade or have a degraded volume output, which can be distracting to a user. Generally, receivers do not have circuitry to automatically adjust volume, and accordingly, an end user must manually adjust a radio's volume to attempt to compensate for such signal impairment.